Beaver Countian Petitions Court For Video Of Assault

The Beaver Countian has petitioned a Beaver County Judge for a copy of evidence presented at a trial conducted over the past several days.

Since Thursday of last week, the Beaver Countian has been covering the non-jury trial of Christine Bell, John Mozena, Robert “Pinky” Pinkosky, and James Hogue — All charged in the attack of William “Cadillac” Bell inside of the Ukrainian National Association Club of Aliquippa, in March of 2011. All four defendants were convicted today by Judge Kim Tesla on charges including Harassment, Disorderly Conduct, Simple Assault, and the more serious felony charge of Aggravated Assault.

The Beaver Countian requested a copy of surveillance videos of the attack from the District Attorney’s Office — Those videos were entered into evidence during trial and shown in open court. That request was denied, with prosecutors saying they had concerns about releasing the videos before sentencing took place. A sentencing hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 28th.

In response, we have petitioned the Honorable Judge Kim Tesla, who presided over the trial, for a copy of the evidence — The Beaver Countian’s intent is to publish the videos along with our coverage, allowing readers to see the events depicted for themselves.

Judge Tesla has granted requests for increased access to the courts in the past, including a ruling which allowed the Beaver Countian to sit in on individual Voir Dire proceedings held outside of the courtroom — Marking the first time a member of the media had viewed such a proceeding in the county’s history.

A decision may come from Judge Tesla sometime tomorrow morning.